The D-League held its annual draft this past Thursday, and the Austin Toros made Darius Washington their No. 1 pick and the 10th pick overall. Washington, a six-foot-two-inch point guard from Winter Park, Fla., played his college ball at the University of Memphis, where he averaged 14.4 points and 3.5 assists a night. He earned First Team All Conference USA honors his sophomore year and was a finalist for the Bob (“The Cooz”) Cousy Award, which recognizes either the best point guard in the country or the player with the lousiest nickname. Coach Dennis Johnson says that Washington will play a vital role as a playmaker for the Toros, something he says the team was lacking last season, and calls the 20 year-old a “pass-first guy” and a “leader on the court.”
Here are the Toros’ other nine draft picks:
B.J. Elder (Georgia Tech)
Brock Gillespie (Rice)
Walt Walters (Cleveland State)
Justin Bowen (Illinois-Chicago)
Rod Benson (California)
Tedric Hall (Gulf Coast Community College – Florida)
Dustin Brown (Loyola Marymount)
Ty Thomas (Concordia – Minn.)
Melvin Scott (North Carolina)
These 10, along with the final winners of the open tryout, two allocated players, and four returning Toros, will head to training camp next week to fight for a spot on the team’s final 10-man roster. Those who don’t make it will go back into the D-League players pool and await their next chance at glory.
This article appears in November 3 • 2006.